Lycanthrope
Lycanthrope (狼男, Ōkamiotoko) is a mutant-type quirk that grants its users the seemingly conventional physiological enhancements afforded to a werewolf by their anthropomorphic wolf physiology. Description Contrary to the popular belief, Lycanthrophy is not a transformation-quirk but is rather a mutant-quirk that is capable of triggering transformation that seems to be closely tied to one's biochemical internal clock; that is to say, one's who inherit this gene will automatically trigger their werewolf form in response to a lack of light in the atmosphere. The key element that separates this mutant quirk from basic transformation is that the quirk controls the being and not the other way around and the recipient of this mutant gene is almost always the victim; as the nocturnal clock and feral instincts trigger and take control of his body, transforming it into something entirely different. Another key component that separates it from transformation quirks is the amount of pain that one has to physically go through as their bodies actually have to contort and modify through the secretion of several mutagenic enzymes which modify their physiology on a very elementary level; causing excess hair and muscle growth, skeletal restructuring, fat re-composition, etc. Not to mention the time it takes, as the 'werewolf transformation' can take up to hours. As such, it does not seem fair to label it as a mere transformation quirk, as clearly something else is at play here. It is also to be noted that, every time the user transforms and reverts back, they do not exactly revert back into a Homo sapiens on a molecular level and are more closely related to Homo lycanthropus; the species that they seem to take traits of, when transformed: causing them to— develop thicker hair, a triangular face, denser bones, sharper teeth and a higher metabolic rate over time. This change is so extensive that it can even somewhat change the user's frame over years of usage. With users with decades of usage slowly losing their ability to communicate with other human beings and developing a feral mind with predatory instinct and unparalleled rage. As they take on these traits that clearly affect their mentality and physiology and these changes that appear slowly with time are not merely vestigial, it becomes hard to debate that they are anything but mutant in nature. Lycanthropes carry this gene from parent to children, with the gene from lycanthrophy being a dominant one and possibly having the ability to either suppress or nullify any other quirk possessed by the child from a young age. Lycanthropy is an inherited genetic condition, and a person can only be a werewolf if they are born to at least one werewolf parent; they cannot be turned by bite or scratch as is commonly believed in folklore. The long and painful transformation from human to werewolf takes up to four hours to complete for new Lycans. The exact order of these physiological mutations is unknown but it is largely believed that hair-follicles would often be the first to be affected by triggering of this gene. Normally, the gene presents itself as active whenever one who has received it first experiences a moment of duress or anxiety; with the gene being closely linked to adrenaline secretion. After the first transformation, the experience does not last nearly as long, but it is still painful and something many lycanthropes come to dread. Once the lycanthrope has been subjected to several transformations, the sensation and causation seem to get registered in their own automatic reflexes built thanks to advanced muscle memory, which further accelerates the degree of mutation and takes some of the control away from the user. Upon transformation, the victim experiences a rapid increase in body and facial hair which surpasses the degree of hairiness caused by hypertrichosis. As it becomes coarser and thicker over the hours the hands, feet and face become swollen and expand in size. Bones are completely restructured as they are physically broken down and the recipient of the quirk experiences new bone growth; with the new bones being much more denser and resistant. They also experience an increase in melanin which changes the color of their skin. Like the Vampyre, Lycanthropes are nocturnal organisms and have senses naturally attuned to sensing people, objects and their surrounding in the dark. When transformed, their eyes undergo severe vasodilation causing it to appear irritated and bloodshot, the first thing to happen to the eyes is the formation of tapetum lucidum tissue behind the retina, causing eyeshine and improved night vision. Afterwards, as the inflamed sclera darkens to a more brownish or black tone, loss of pigment in the iris brightens its hue to either a pale red or an intense yellow coloration. Finally, the iris and cornea will slowly expand to take up more of the eyeball's surface, making the pupils appear smaller. The muscles in the eyes continuously adjust the curvature of the eyeballs to maintain sharp focus and accurate perception throughout the approach and attack. The back side shape of the eye is flatter and the retina allows for a higher Nyquist limit. The eyes of a Lycan and specifically, the retina's fovea has 2,200,000 cells per mm2 as compared to 200,000 per mm2 in humans. They have a second fovea and three eyelids and their eyes additionally produce a thicker and more friction resistant fluid from its lachrymal gland; which protect their eyes from friction and bright lights. This gives them a vision that is both superior to that of humans and vampires both during the day and night. In their human forms, some experienced Lycanthropes possess an excellent eye-sight that is considered to be marginally better than the "ideal" human vision. In some cases, activating this quirk has actually "healed" one's impaired eye-sight. Next to their sense of smell, is only their sense of hearing. The sense of hearing in Lycanthropes are highly acute and they are capable of hearing as far as seven miles away when there is no disturbance or when they are focusing, however, this range doubles in the open; away from the towns and forests. They can hear well up to a frequency of 82kHz, which actually allows them to detect the echolocation used by vampyres and determine the location of an incoming vampyre. Although, they cannot identify sounds bellow 70Hz. Even in their human form, Lycanthrope's retain some level of enhanced hearing due to their auditory receptors being so advanced; giving them an effective hearing range of 17Hz-30kHz in their human form. Some Lycanthrophes have developed such an advanced sense of hearing that they can tell if someone is lying just by listening to their heartbeat. As scent plays an important role in the life of a werewolf, they have developed a very keen sense of smell. With their sense of smell they can locate prey, other pack members or enemies as well as detect chemical messages in the form of pheromones in air. They are even able to decipher how long was someone in a certain place before leaving it. Their olfactory capabilities are highly developed in their werewolf state, as would be expected from an animal with several numerous scent glands. The distance at which any scent can be detected is governed by atmospheric conditions but, even under the most favorable conditions they can detect things for up to 2 miles. They can also memorize smells and keep them in their minds for years. With the inclusion of over 400 million olfactory receptors in her nose, compared to the 6 million possessed by normal human beings and 330 million in vampyres, it is of little doubt that a transformed werewolf's sense of smell is much superior. While their sense of smell is not as acute in their human form, Harper could still get the faint smell of wolfsbane mixed into his coffee, despite the strong scent of coffee masking it. All Lycanthropes have an extremely dense body and bones that are naturally attuned to support such heavy mass while maintaining normal levels of agility and flexibility. Upon activation of the quirk, this mass is actually spread in an equivalent manner as in their werewolf state they seem to gain several pounds of muscle with extremely advanced myoglobin rich fast-twitch muscle fibers that are highly resistant to fatigue. This along with their bone growth causes them to become much bigger than they were in human form, as they tower over most beings in this form. A werewolf while stand up on its feet is around 8-9 ft tall with a lean build. This equivalent mass distribution better allows them to use their strength, with the new stronger bones further supporting their muscles, while also increasing their speed and agility over five times compared to their human forms. Lycanthrophes in their human form only retain their enhanced strength and a high level of endurance, the rest of their abilities are either above average or borders on athletic levels, as their body structure does not allow for enhanced agility, speed or reflexes. In their human form, while they are weaker than vampyres, they are stronger than normal humans, those with peak-human strength and are par with those with low degree of enhanced strength. However, in their transformed state, a werewolf can and will overwhelm a vampyre with their brute force alone, as they are much stronger than them and can fend off two vampyres at once; however, if they are surrounded by more vampyres it is likely that they will get overwhelmed and die off. With these strong muscles also comes their extremely developed and strong jaw muscles with larger and sharper teeth that resemble that of a as they grow extra ten teeth; causing them to have a total of 42 teeth in their transformed state instead of the regular 32. These teeth have some sort of enhanced enamel like tissue as they are much stronger than normal human or wolf teeth. Combined with their powerful jaw muscles, they can generate a bite force of 1620 psi, which puts a Jaguar's bite force of 1350 psi to shame. As many werewolves mention, they had to adapt to their rival species and develop a deadlier bite since Vampyres are faster and more in sheer number. However, what truly makes a werewolf scary when transformed is their venom that they secrete naturally and can be injected through their teeth. All Vampires with the exception of the original Vampyre, has to be weary of a werewolf bite as the venom produced by their body has been specially developed over time to kill a vampire. With even the smallest dosage, it can cause them to become physically weak and start hallucinating. High exposure would cause the venom to slowly breakdown her body and nullify her healing ability. It can cause her blood to become extraordinarily thin and seep out of her pores, leading to a painful death. Though, in their human state, they do not keep these strong jaw muscles or the venom for that matter but they can still over time develop longer and sharper canines and incisors. They also grow quasi-keratin infused claws and paws that are extremely tough and assist them in grabbing onto their prey or piercing their flesh. It is also used by them to mark their territory by cutting into the side of barks and rubbing them with the scent of their paws. These claws when combined with their already impressive strength can cut through wood and even bone. A werewolf's circulatory system and body temperature remain largely unchanged from when they were human—aside from a drastic increase in organ size and blood volume to supply its larger body mass. They do develop a much higher metabolism and have stomach acid that are around 6 times as strong and potent as a human's stomach acid. Since Werewolves prey on almost anything and are omnivores, their digestive system has grown to be much more developed and efficient; such as giving them thicker stomach lining and more powerful enzymes to break food down easily. Their heart rates even in their normal human states is slightly higher, causing them to have a more warmer body that is also more resistant to the effects of cold. While in their werewolf form, their fur provides them with excellent insulation against both heat and severe cold. A werewolf in its transformed state also has an increased healing ability due to its advanced metabolism and immune system as well as a higher rate of cell growth and division. However, this healing ability is actually inferior to that of a vampyre as they are able to heal from superficial injuries nearly about 10 times as fast and from more serious injuries at rates around 6 times greater than a human being. In their human state, this healing ability becomes further diluted to the point that they can only heal and recover from wounds and diseases about 50% faster and more efficiently than a healthy human being. Weakness *'Extensive Injury': *'Mortality/Aging': *'Allergic Reaction to Wolfsbane': *'Sensory Overload': *'Feral Mind Development': Trivia * The kanji '狼男' loosely translates to 'wolf-man'. * Homo lycanthropus are almost always at the mercy of their quirk that is closely tied to the lack of sunlight. * It is likely that Lycanthrope is a result of reactive adaptation and environmental mutation due to them having to co-exist with Vampyre. **The venom produced naturally by them is a prime example of this adaptation. While their nocturnal adaptations is an example of them trying to better adapt to their environment. It is hypothesized that since vampyres are noctural, werewolves have learned to automatically transform as soon as light disappears to protect themselves. ***This also explains their nocturnal behavior since the chemical changes in the brain that help us to wake up automatically in response to morning light is actually reversed in a vampire's brain; causing them to wake up at dusk and sleep throughout the day. Werewolves may have solely mutated to be a sort of counter-quirk to vampirism. * They most certainly do not smell like wet dogs or have a tendency to take off their shirts for a 17 year old obsessed with a certain vampire. Category:Mutant Quirks